Minisforum N5 AI NAS - $480.30US Shipped (over 30% off)

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Forums › Bargains and Deals › Minisforum N5 AI NAS - $480.30US Shipped (over 30% off)

michaelmurfy

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#320072 2-Jul-2025 22:55

May interest some of you here for a higher spec NAS (just add drives and memory).

https://store.minisforum.com/en-nz/products/minisforum-n5-us

$729.00 then add N5PRO30 ($218.70 Discount) and NAS30 for an additional $30US off bringing it down to $480.30US with free shipping.

Coupon is good until 12pm, 7th July PST.

I rate the Minisforum gear having a MS-01 myself and have now ordered this to replace my HP Microserver.

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#3389325 2-Jul-2025 23:35

With the discount it's a good price. Note though that on the 255 CPUs the NPU seems to be disabled (binned)

I am currently waiting on my....
https://aoostar.com/products/aoostar-wtr-max-amd-r7-pro-8845hs-11-bays-mini-pc?variant=50067345932586

;-)

Handle9

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#3389326 2-Jul-2025 23:38

It's an exciting time for NAS at the moment.

With Synology shitting all over home users with their new NAS products as well as new hardware and software being released the SOHO/homelab market has some really exciting options.

michaelmurfy

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#3389328 2-Jul-2025 23:44

olivernz:

With the discount it's a good price. Note though that on the 255 CPUs the NPU seems to be disabled (binned)

I am currently waiting on my....
https://aoostar.com/products/aoostar-wtr-max-amd-r7-pro-8845hs-11-bays-mini-pc?variant=50067345932586

Yeah guessed as much! Still plenty of grunt as a NAS though!

I wonder if the screen on the front of that NAS unit you've ordered will still continue to work with lets say UnRaid or TrueNAS?

olivernz

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#3389329 2-Jul-2025 23:46

The screen is some separate unit. Not holding my breath there. Since it lives in a server rack tucked away I don't care. It's the grunty CPU, 6 bays and 10Gbit SFPs I am after

olivernz

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#3389330 2-Jul-2025 23:47

Oh and still debating straight TrueNAS or Proxmox+TrueNAS

mailmarshall

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#3389353 3-Jul-2025 07:51

olivernz:

With the discount it's a good price. Note though that on the 255 CPUs the NPU seems to be disabled (binned)

I am currently waiting on my....
https://aoostar.com/products/aoostar-wtr-max-amd-r7-pro-8845hs-11-bays-mini-pc?variant=50067345932586

;-)

This looks super interesting. Can I ask how much did you pay NZD for it?

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#3389379 3-Jul-2025 09:12

olivernz:

Proxmox+TrueNAS

100% Proxmox+TrueNAS with passthrough!

Will give you far more flexibility and options to expand with LXC etc etc

CPU: AMD 5900x | RAM: GSKILL Trident Z Neo RGB F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC-32-GB | MB: Asus X570-E | GFX: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti| Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 2560x1440

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networkn

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#3389385 3-Jul-2025 09:44

Handle9:

It's an exciting time for NAS at the moment.

With Synology shitting all over home users with their new NAS products as well as new hardware and software being released the SOHO/homelab market has some really exciting options.

Do you genuinely see any options suitable as plug and play replacements to Synology for your average home user (as opposed to the enthusiasts who frequent sites like this)?

Whatever their faults, and current treatment of the market, I have yet to see a product with anywhere *near* the polish and suite of free products, with the widespread support community and otherwise, of a synology NAS.

everettpsycho

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#3389462 3-Jul-2025 14:18

networkn:

Handle9:

It's an exciting time for NAS at the moment.

With Synology shitting all over home users with their new NAS products as well as new hardware and software being released the SOHO/homelab market has some really exciting options.

Do you genuinely see any options suitable as plug and play replacements to Synology for your average home user (as opposed to the enthusiasts who frequent sites like this)?

Whatever their faults, and current treatment of the market, I have yet to see a product with anywhere *near* the polish and suite of free products, with the widespread support community and otherwise, of a synology NAS.

For all the people complaining about hexos I'm interested to see if that ever gets paired with something like an N5 or WTR pro in place of them selling it with windows. $300 USD will be far too expensive for amateur users to swallow but the set up on the release I had was really simple. I probably could navigate truenas but just don't have the time or patience to do that at the moment. Alternatively something like casa OS may be an option for those sorts of users.

Definitely a good time though, the self hosting movement seems to be gaining more traction than I've seen in a long time, and off the shelf hardware you can buy relatively cheap now is pretty impressive. I'vr junked back in after years of not bothering and definitely considering swapping an old desktop with my hexos over to a wtr pro just to make Plex/jellyfin easier.

Handle9

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#3389463 3-Jul-2025 14:53

networkn:

Handle9:

It's an exciting time for NAS at the moment.

With Synology shitting all over home users with their new NAS products as well as new hardware and software being released the SOHO/homelab market has some really exciting options.

Do you genuinely see any options suitable as plug and play replacements to Synology for your average home user (as opposed to the enthusiasts who frequent sites like this)?

Whatever their faults, and current treatment of the market, I have yet to see a product with anywhere *near* the polish and suite of free products, with the widespread support community and otherwise, of a synology NAS.

For the vast majority of users the plug and play replacements from Terramaster, Ugreen or QNAP are fine today. They aren't as polished as Synology but they will get the job done. Realistically the vast majority of users will setup some shares and a couple of apps and will promptly forget about it. What is more interesting is the software space and decoupling the hardware from the software.

TrueNAS scale is pretty mature now with a big user base. For those who want true plug and play with software choice HexOS looks like it will offer that. It's a new company but I believe in what they are doing so gave them my money. Once they get their app store model built out they will offer more choice and arguably easier deployment than Synology.

Your second paragraph is unrealistic at best and disingenuous at worst. Synology is a 25 year old company so of course their competitors have smaller communities and are not yet feature complete. The more interesting question is the trajectory of Synology and their competitors. Synology is going firmly down the NVIDIA route of focussing on enterprise and treating consumers as cows to be milked and otherwise treat with contempt.

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#3389464 3-Jul-2025 14:56

everettpsycho:

networkn:

Do you genuinely see any options suitable as plug and play replacements to Synology for your average home user (as opposed to the enthusiasts who frequent sites like this)?

Whatever their faults, and current treatment of the market, I have yet to see a product with anywhere *near* the polish and suite of free products, with the widespread support community and otherwise, of a synology NAS.

For all the people complaining about hexos I'm interested to see if that ever gets paired with something like an N5 or WTR pro in place of them selling it with windows. $300 USD will be far too expensive for amateur users to swallow but the set up on the release I had was really simple. I probably could navigate truenas but just don't have the time or patience to do that at the moment. Alternatively something like casa OS may be an option for those sorts of users.

Definitely a good time though, the self hosting movement seems to be gaining more traction than I've seen in a long time, and off the shelf hardware you can buy relatively cheap now is pretty impressive. I'vr junked back in after years of not bothering and definitely considering swapping an old desktop with my hexos over to a wtr pro just to make Plex/jellyfin easier.

If you compare the cost of HexOS + equivalent hardware you are in a similar pricepoint to Synology or QNAP. Where HexOS becomes super interesting is when they do vendor deals to bundle their software with hardware. I think that will come if they survive long enough to become a bit more mature.

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#3389473 3-Jul-2025 16:00

networkn:

Do you genuinely see any options suitable as plug and play replacements to Synology for your average home user (as opposed to the enthusiasts who frequent sites like this)?

Whatever their faults, and current treatment of the market, I have yet to see a product with anywhere *near* the polish and suite of free products, with the widespread support community and otherwise, of a synology NAS.

Guy here has an Asustor at home he seems to like and was easy enough for him to setup plex/arrr suite.

everettpsycho

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#3389512 3-Jul-2025 19:26

Handle9:

If you compare the cost of HexOS + equivalent hardware you are in a similar pricepoint to Synology or QNAP. Where HexOS becomes super interesting is when they do vendor deals to bundle their software with hardware. I think that will come if they survive long enough to become a bit more mature.

I was happy to give them the $99. I don't disagree that pricing wise it adds up to a Synology, but I think your average Joe if you told them it's $300 USD and you have to install it yourself they'd tell you to get stuffed and just buy the Synology that is easier. Thing is hex will be fine now and then transfer to my next box at which point it's saving money.

Them partnering with OEMs will definitely be interesting, if someone like aoostar offers the wtr pro with hexos it's absolutely a pairing I'd recommend to friends to get them started with the basics for backing up their stuff and media playback.

olivernz

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#3389513 3-Jul-2025 19:36

At the moment if you want the same features on a Synology or QNAP you'll be spending about $3.5k upwards. The incumbents may have the software ease bit nutted down but it's time they are getting a run for their money. And while Aoostar looks like a me too, Minisforum is definitely going for a market segment.

Handle9

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#3389514 3-Jul-2025 19:44

olivernz:

At the moment if you want the same features on a Synology or QNAP you'll be spending about $3.5k upwards. The incumbents may have the software ease bit nutted down but it's time they are getting a run for their money. And while Aoostar looks like a me too, Minisforum is definitely going for a market segment.

I'd love to see how you get to that number.

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